Reader-decoder for tape-operated typesetting machines



3,278,004 READER-DECODER FOR TAPE-OPERATED TYPESETTING MACHINES Richard C. OBrien, Huntington, Neil Schleifman, Kew Gardens, Marvin Laut, ()ssining, and Seth Graubert, Rockville Centre, N.Y., assignors to Harris-lntertype Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 9, 1965, Ser. No. 506,962 Claims. (Cl. 19918) This application is a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 463,197 filed June 11, 1965.

This invention relates to apparatus for reading and decoding perforated tape for the purpose of operating typesetting machines.

The present invention is directed to controlling typesetting machines of the circulating matrix type, including linecasting machines and phototypesetting machines operating on the same principle such as shown in US. Patent 2,391,021. Particularly, the present invention relates to the reading, decoding, and automatic handling of shift and unshift codes which are commonly used in standard six-digit or six-channel perforated tape, by means of which automatic operation of typesetting machines is controlled. A typical arrangement for this purpose uses forty-one codes or code words which identify either of two characters, and the designation as to which of the two characters is intended by one of these codes is in the form of a shift or unshift code preceding the codes to which it pertains. For example, as is well known, the letters of the alphabet, which are really only a portion of a font of type, are arranged such that the same code identifies both upper case and lower case letters, and the lower case leters are designated by preceding the codes with the unshift code, and similarly the capital or upper case letters are identified by a preceding shift code.

In a conventional decoding apparatus, where each cycle of the reader is coupled to the cycle of operation of the typesetting machine, it is thus necessary to use the time for three complete cycles in order merely to identify a single capital letter, as at the beginning of the sentence. In other words, assuming that the machine is in the unshift condition, first the shift code must be read, then the code identifying the character, and then the unshift code in order to return to lower case. A primary purpose of this invention is to minimize the amount of time required to decode and utilize the shift and unshift codes. This is of particular significance, by way of example, where tabular matter using a large number of upper case characters is being set. A good example of such matter is the setting of type for the stock quotations, which appear in a great many daily newspapers throughout the world, as well as in business newspapers and the like.

Accordingly, the primary object of this invention is to provide a novel reader-decoder control device that will recognize shift and unshift signals, and perform the necessary functions indicated by these signals, and immediately advance the reader to the next code in order to minimize the time required to complete the shift or unshift functions, thereby obtaining a net increase in operating speed of the typesetting machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a control device wherein a single relay is used to control the circuits which distinguish between shift and unshift instructions, and wherein a transfer of this relay is sensed and causes a stepping signal to occur almost immediately for purposes of advancing the reader to the next code.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a control device which also includes manual controls for overriding the automatic control of the shift and unshift circuits.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be United States Patent 0 "ice apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the general arrangement of reader-decoder apparatus provided by the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a segment of six-channel perforated control tape such as commonly used for controlling typesetting machines; and

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the handling of shift and unshift codes in accordance with the invention.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and particularly with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the reader-decoder apparatus incorporates a 'known form of perforated tape reader, capable of reading multiple bits of information simultaneously. For example, it can recognize the presence or absence of a perforation or other mark in each of several channels arranged lengthwise of the tape, with the portions of the channels forming one code word usually being in line crosswise of the tape as shown in FIG. 2. Thus, for example, the tape reader is shown schematically at 10, and the perforated tape .12 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, having six channels 12a-f, these channels also being appropriately labeled in FIG. 2.

The reader is of a type which is known in the art as a star wheel reader such as shown in United States Patent No. 3,027,072, or of an equivalent type, and it is capable of providing a distinct output according to the bit of information read from each channel. For example, there will be a switch for each channel, and each switch will contact one or the other of its output contacts (0 or 1) depending upon whether there is or is not a perforation for that channel in any code word being read. Because of its construction, wherein the star wheels have teeth of a pitch dimension corresponding to the spacing of code words on the tape, the reader does not exhibit any change in its output at any one of its switches when the code bit information remains the same in successively read code words.

The outputs of the reader 10 are passed through suitable electrical connections to a decoder and control circuit indicated generally at 15 in FIGS. 1 and 3. Details of these circuits are shown in said application Serial No. 463,197. This decoder in turn has seven output code connections indicated by the cable 18, which in turn are connected into a bank of buffer OR gate circuits 20.

The present invention also contemplates the possibility of utilizing certain parts thereof in conjunction with a typesetting machine which has a direct keyboard control. Thus, FIG. 1 shows schematically a keyboard 22 which incorporates a suitable encoding device (not shown) and having seven code output lines shown as the cable 24. This cable is connected into the B register circuits B1-B7.

The output from the B register circuits is provided by seven code output lines indicated by the general ref erence numeral 25. These lines run into the OR circuits 20, and thus also can feed the A register, Al-A7. A code set up in the B register can thus be transferred to a further register, hereinafter termed the A register, and formed by the seven flip-flop circuits A1-A7. This transfer is under the control of a register shift gate circuit 30 which controls the circuits of the B register through a delay circuit 32, and similarly a register shift control gate 35 controls the flip-flop circuits of the A register causing them to transfer the code set up in them through outputs into seven coding solenoids 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d, 40e, 40 and 40g.

The shift control gates 30 and 35 receive an actuating pulse from a photocell amplifier circuit 42,, through a common input line 43. Thus, the delay circuit 32 causes the B register to delay its shift operation for a short time, for example, about one millisecond, to allow time for the A register first to shift the outgoing code from the B register and set up the solenoids 40a-g. Shift registers of this type are well known in the art of electronic controls, particularly handling digital code information. Details of these register circuits form no part of the present invention, therefore they are shown only schematically.

The solenoids 40ag control corresponding crank levers 45a-g, which in turn control the position of seven mechanical decoding tapes StPa-g. Each tape will assume one of two positions, corresponding to the energized or deenergized state of its associated solenoid. Details of these decoding tapes and related apparatus are more fully described in copending application Serial No. 463,198 filed June 11, 1965.

For purposes of an understanding of the functions of the reader-decoder controls and circuits, a brief description of the mechanical decoding apparatus is helpful. However, details of the novel features of this apparatus are not essential to such an understanding.

A typesetting machine of the circulating matrix type has a plurality of mat channels, each channel providing a supply of identical character mats. Each channel has an escapement for releasing a single mat from that channel into assemblying apparatus of the typesetting machine, and each such escapement may be operated by an actuating reed. The arrangement of such reeds and escapements is shown, for example, in United States Patent No. 3,042,188.

Movement of one of these reeds is caused by mechanical decoding apparatus which derives its power from a rotatably driven shaft, not shown. This shaft is, during normal operation of the machine, driven continuously at a constant speed, and one revolution thereof is considered to be one cycle of operation of the machine, during which one character mat can be released. The time for one cycle however can be substantially less than the response-actuating time for any one escapement mechanism.

This shaft also drives a conventional light chopper arrangement provided by a continuously illuminated lamp 60, a photocell 62, and a rotatable disc 65 therebetween which is preferably opaque and has a light transmitting slit 66 therein arranged to pass light to the photocell once for each revolution of the disc 65. The resultant pulse generated by the photocell is transmitted by amplifier 42, as shown in FIG. 1, at the rate of one pulse per cycle.

The electrical pulse from photocell 62 is hereafter identified as a timing pulse. It passes, as described, to the shift register gates 30 and 35, being amplified by the photocell amplifier 42. This amplifier also has an output connection, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to a timing pulse input line 70 which is connected into the decoder control circuits, as more fully explained in said application Serial No. 463,197.

For purposes of the present description, only those decoding circuits which relate to the shift and unshift codes need be considered. Therefore, in FIG. 3 this portion of the circuits has been shown in detail, with the decoding lines 75 and 76, also labeled S and US respectively, representing the circuits on which a change in potential will represent the decoding of the shift or unshift code. These codes, incidentally, are shown in FIG. 2. It should be understood, and as is more fully explained in said application Serial No. 463,197, that the circuits shown in FIG. 3 are actually a part of the decoder and its control circuits, but for purposes of ex planation the circuits are shown apart from the schematic block representation of the decoder' As is more fully explained in said application, after a code is read and the operation which it instructs is completed, a feedback 0r stepping pulse is transmitted through line 71 to the one-shot multivibrator circuit 72, which in turn sends a stepping pulse to reader 10.

The decoding and operating circuits will convert from the six digit input code to a seven digit code, in which the shift function is represented by presence or absence of a signal in the seventh output line of the cable 18 leading to the OR gates and the A register. This line is represented in FIG. 3 as the line 73. The output through this line is controlled by opening or closing of the switch S3 of the shift relay which also includes coil SR and switches S1 and 52.

When the shift code 011011 appears at the reader input this code will be recognized by a decoding AND gate circuit (not shown), and the shift control line will drop in potential to cause the transistor gate 808 to conduct and energize the coil SR of the shift relay. Immediately upon energizing this relay, the contact S3 shifts to connect the output line 78 into line 73 and the seventh stage of the A shift register, relay switch S1 transfers to complete a circuit through line 82 and the coil of the relay S from the normally closed manually operated unshift switch 85 and through that switch from holding amplifier 87, which is normally biased to conduct. Without waiting for the next pulse from the light chopper input 70, relay switch S2 causes a single stepping pulse to be generated by the circuit 90, which in turn causes the multivibrator circuit 72 to send a stepping pulse to the reader 10. The reader therefore steps rapidly to the next code, and the shift relay S remains energized, so that there is an output to the seventh stage of the A register for all susbequently read codes, until an unshift code (011111) appears in the reader.

At that time, an AND gate in the decoder which is responsive to the unshift code will cause the control gate transistor SOUS to conduct by reason of a more negative potential appearing on the unshift control line 76. This will cut off the latching amplifier 87, thereby deenergizing the relay S, and it will drop out, changing the switches S1, S2 and S3 to their unshift condition, as shown. When S2 is so transferred, this causes a single pulse to be generated by the circuit 92, and as in the case of the handling of the shift operation, this unshift pulse causes the multivibrator circuit 72 to send a stepping pulse immediately to the reader.

As a result, the reader-decoder handles the shift and unshift codes in essentially the same manner as other character codes, and immediately sets up the seventh digit of the output code accordingly, without any further delay in the reading operation. However, the reader is advanced immediately to read the next code,

without waiting for the next light chopper pulse. For

the sake of convenience, the manually operated switch 85 can be moved from its normally closed position by an operator monitoring the device, thereby causing the typesetting machine being controlled to revert to the unshift position as it is set up for shift operation. A normally open switch 86 similarly is connected in parallel with relay switch S1 and the control input from the gating amplifier 808. Therefore, closing of switch 86 will cause the shift relay to be energized and latch in as previously described. Switches 85 and 86 also have normally closed contacts, marked respectively 85a and 86a in the input line from the multivibrator to the actuating coils of the reader. Therefore, any time either of these switches is manually operated, corresponding contacts 85a or 86a are open to prevent a driving or advancing pulse from the multivibrator 107 from moving the reader to the next code. 1

The present invention, therefore, provides a novel decoding and control arrangement, particularly" adapted for the control of typesetting machines, wherein both shift and unshift codes are recognized and the appropriate change is made in the control circuits, as by adding an additional digit or removing such digit from the control code transmitted to the machine, at a rate which is substantially faster than the normal operating rate of the typesetting machine and the control system. Therefore, particularly where a large number of shift and unshift codes are required, a substantial saving in time is achieved since the decoding and reading controls can proceed rapidly through the shift and unshift functions without regard to the normal operating rate of the typesetting machine. Also, the invention provides for manually overriding the automatic shift and unshift control circuits in order to facilitate starting the machine and making corrections. The invention also provides a specific control circuit which is able to accomplish the foregoing results using a single relay which will occupy either of two states according to the need for a shift or unshift control.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitues a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A control for typesetting machines, comprising a multi-digit control reader having a drive means arranged to move a record member therethrough to read successive code words, a decoder circuit means having input connections from said reader corresponding to the different digits available to form code words in the record, control circuit means controlling said reader to advance the record member to present the next code at a predetermined interval after reading a code, output drive circuits from said decoder circuit means adapted for connection to the controls of a typesetting machine, output recognition circuits from said decoder circuit means corresponding to recognition of shift and unshift codes by said decoder, a feedback control connected to said drive means and arranged to control the advancement of the record through said reader, connections from said shift and unshift recognition circuits arranged to produce the appopiate shift or unshift function, and means controlled from said recognition circuits and operative on said feedback control to accelerate the advancement of the record through said reader after sensing a shift or an unshift code causing reading of the next code word before said predetermined interval has transpired.

2. A control as defined in claim 1 where the record member is a perforated tape, said reader being capable of sensing one code at a time from said tape and transmitting that code to said decoder circuit, and individual pulse generators controlled by said recognition circuits and incorporated in said means operative on said feed- 6 back control for sending an accelerating signal to said reader immediately upon actuation of one of said recognition circuits.

3. A control as defined in claim 1, wherein a shift control relay is provided having a first relay switch and a holding circuit connected thereto and to the coil of said relay and to one of said code recognition circuits, a second double pole relay switch and pulse generator means connected to operate to transmit a single pulse in response to transfer of said second relay switch in either direction, a connection between said pulse generator means and said feedback circuit forming said connecting means between the feedback circuit and the recognition circuits, a third relay switch connected to one of said output drive circuits, and a connection between the other of said recognition circuits and said holding circuit operative to break the holding circuit whereby said relay is energized by one of said recognition circuits and remains energized until the holding circuit is broken under control of the other recognition circuit.

4. A control as defined in claim 3, including a normally open manually operated switch connected when closed to energize the coil of said relay, and a normally closed manually operated switch in said holding circuits for breaking it independently of said other recognition circuit.

5. A control as defined in claim 1, including pulse generating means operating at the normal operating cycle time of the typesetting machine and incorporated into said control circuit means to advance the record member normally at a predetermined interval corresponding to said normal operating cycle time, and said means controlled by said recognition circuit including additional pulse generating means connected to advance the record member immediately upon recognition of a shift or unshift code.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1958 Ackell 19918 1/1959 Rossetto et a1 l9918 References Cited by the Applicant UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner.

W. F. MCCARTHY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CONTROL FOR TYPESETTING MACHINES, COMPRISING A MULTI-DIGIT CONTROL READER HAVING A DRIVE MEANS ARRANGED TO MOVE A RECORD MEMBER THERETHROUGH TO READ SUCCESSIVE CODE WORDS, A DECODER CIRCUIT MEANS HAVING INPUT CONNECTIONS FROM SAID READER CORRESPONDING TO THE DIFFERENT DIGITS AVAILABLE TO FORM CODE WORDS IN THE RECORD, CONTROL CIRCUIT MEANS CONTROLLING SAID READER TO ADVANCE THE RECORD MEMBER TO PRESENT THE NEXT CODE AT A PREDETERMINED INTERVAL AFTER READING A CODE, OUTPUT DRIVE CIRCUIT FROM SAID DECODER CIRCUIT MEANS ADAPTED FOR CONNECTION TO THE CONTROLS OF A TYPESETTING MACHINE, OUTPUT RECOGNITION CIRCUITS FROM SAID DECODER CIRCUIT MEANS CORRESPONDING TO RECOGNITION OF SHIFT AND UNSHIFT CODES BY SAID DECODER, SAID READER, CONNECTIONS FROM SAID SHIFT MEANS AND ARRANGED TO CONTROL THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE RECORD THROUGH SAID READER, CONNECTIONS FROM SAID SHIFT AND UNSHIFT RECOGNITION CIRCUITS ARRANGED TO PRODUCE THE APPROPRIATE SHIFT OR UNSHIFT FUNCTION, AND MEANS CONTROLLED FROM SAID RECOGNITION CIRCUITS AND OPERATIVE ON SAID FEEDBACK CONTROL TO ACCELERATE THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE RECORD THROUGH SAID READER AFTER SENSING A SHIFT OR AN UNSHIFT CODE CAUSING READING OF THE NEXT CODE WORDS BEFORE SAID PREDETERMINED INTERVAL HAS TRANSPIRED. 